Machine for marking soap and the like



'- Sept. 13, 1932.

w. o. ARMSTRONG ET AL MACHINE FOR MARKING SOAP AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet l 0 0 o o a o a 20 Filed April 4, 1951 INVENTORS d m Q. M Q KT IZQS p 1932- w. o. ARMSTRONG ET AL 1,8 6,826

MACHINE FOR MARKING SOAP AND THE LIKE Filed April 4, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvsmfmw.

ATTORNEYV Sept. 13, 1932. w. o. ARMSTRONG ET AL 1,876,826

MACHINE FOR MARKING SOAP AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 4, 1931 llllllllllll'll'l l l INVENTORS M/d a? l I I v- (1, A'LTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 13, 1932 amaze WILLIS o. ARMSTRONGAND JAY A/MOWERS, Q Romnnnw YORK MACHINE FoaMAR-Kms soarnn THEfIQIKE, I

Application filed April 4, 1931. Seria l No. 527,842.

This invention has for its object, a niachine for providing articles with inefface able markings running therethrough, as articles that are formed in cakes, such as cakes of soap, without adding materially tothe cost of the article, and in a particularly simple, efiicient and economicalmanner.

The invention consists in the novel fez-itures and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views. 7

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying our invention. I

Figure 2 is an enlarged, sectional view through the punching and filling means and the support for the article,the contiguous portion of the carrier and the article or slab of soap being operated on, and a portion of' the finished article being also shown.

Figure 8 is a sectional view online33, Figure 2. I Figures and are views illustrating ,finished cakes of soap. I

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of parts seen in Figure 1. v 5 Figure 7 is a detail View of the valve-operating mechanism. w.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 88, Figure 7.

Figures 9 and 10 are elevations of the portions of the actuating means for the carrier showing the same. in extreme positions, fragmentary portion of oneof the gear Wheels of the carrier being shown. I

Figure 11 is an elevation of partsseen in Figures 9 and 10. y

This machine comprises generally, a support for an article, as slab or cake of soap, to be provided with an 'inefi'aceable marking running therethrough, means forsuccessively forming passages through the articleand filling the passages with themarking material, actuating means for effecting relative movement of the support, and the passage forming and filling meansto effect the punching and filling operations, and means for also feeding the articles to the support, the actuating means including timing mechanism for causing the operations to take placeina predetermined order, or in synchronism. The markings may be trade.- M marks, letters, designs, monograms etefand run entirely through the article'or cake of soap, so as to be inefi'aceable andvisible until the soap is entirely used up; I

Inthe illustrated embodiment of our invention, the support for the. soap or article is stationary, and the passage forming or punching means and the filling means movable relatively to the support. 1 designates the-support or carriedby a suitable frame 2, 3 designates a setlof punches, those here shown being designedto punch circular holes. 4 designates a set of filling means or nozzles corresponding toxthe punches. The punches M 3 and nozzles 24 are arranged side by side, and the articles'are fed successively thereto, or first in juxtaposition to the punchespand then injuxtaposition to the nozzles, where the nozzles are alined with the passages pre C table, which is viously formed by the punches." The relative movement of the support, and the punching and filling means is preferablyeffectedby moving the punches and nozzles toward and from the support, and as here illustrated, the z I punches and nozzles 3, 4 are carried by a suitable carrier, asa head 5 carried by amovable element or cross'head 52 guided'-in-its movement in ways 76 supported by 1 the --frame2. 1i

The. nozzles '4; communicate with a suitable 5 chamber 7 formedinthe head 5, which chamber is connected to a suitable source of supply of material to be filled into the passages formed by the punches, it being here shown as connected by-a conduit 8"130 a-r'eservoir "9'0 9, the conduit including a'flexible portion.

The conduit also has a suitable control valve lOtherein.

The support 1 is provided with openings 11 for receiving thee'nds of the punches and through which the punchings are forced.

The punches 3 and the nozzles a pass through a stripper plate 12 carried by the frame 2. V

The means for feeding the articles, to the support in juxtaposition to the punches 3and the nozzles 4, is here shown as a conveyor belt or chain 13 movable over pulleys or wheels 14 supported in any suitable manner, this chain having pushers 15 extending laterally therefrom and spaced apart at predetermined intervals and movable over a table or track 16 alined with or supported by the table 1. A magazine 17 is mounted above the table 16, in which magazine the articles 18 are located, one above the other. The bottom of the magazine is open. The shoulders 15' are spaced apart a distance equal tothe length of one of the articles, slabs, or cakes 18. During the feeding movement of the belt, one of the shoulders 15 pushes against the end of the cake or slab lying on the table and feeds it out of the magazine to the support or table 1. The slabs or cakes then move down in the magazine, asthe lowermost is fed out.

The head 5, valve 10 and carrier 13 are actuated in a certain synchronism to effect first the feeding of the slab or cake, or portion thereof, onto the support lin juxtaposition to the punches 3 and nozzles 4. Then the head is actuated downwardly, to cause the punches to punch passages in the underlying article and to cause the nozzles to enter the passages punched during the previous operation, and then upwardly to withdraw the punches and the nozzles. During the upward movement, the valve 10 opens to permit material to be ejected from the nozzles during the retrograde movement of the nozzles. During the upward movement of the head, the stripper plate 12 prevents the cake or slab from upward displacement.

When, the head approaches its uppermost position, the valve 10 closes and during the upward movement, after the punches 3 and nozzles 4 have withdrawn from the cake or slab, the carrier is actuated to feed the slab another step.

The material filled into the passages is usually colored soap, but may be any other material, and in order to keep it sufiiciently fluent, a. heating coil 20 is located in the container 9. Also, in order to eject the soap from the nozzles, pressure is applied to the material in the tank 9 in any suitable manner, as by compressed air applied to the upper portion of the tankthrough a pipe 21.

The head 5, valve 10, and carrier 1am operated through suitable motion transmitting connections between an actuator and these parts, this actuator being here shown .as a shaft 22 journalled in the .frame members or guides 6, the shaft being connected to any suitable source of power in any suitable -ma-nner. As here shown, the shaft is provided with a pulley over whicha belt runs from a motor or prime mover, not shown. The connections between the shaft 22 and the head '5 comprises a crank on the shaft and a pitman 23 connecting the crank and the crosshead 52.

f the link and the clutch section 37.

The valve 10 is here shown as a rotary valve, the movable member 24 of which rotates in the valve casing. It is provided wii h diametrically extending passages 25. The

connections for actuating the movable memrotate relatively to the clutch section 29, the

two clutch sections having coacting ratchet teeth. v

The clutch sections are held engaged by a spring 31. The arm 27 is mounted on, or part of the clutch section 30. Normally, full portions of the valve member 24 close the inlet and outlet of the valve casing, as shown in Figure 8. As the head 5 moves downwardly, thus moving the punches 3 through the article on the support 1, and the nozzles 4 into the passages previously formed by the punches, a full portion of the valve member 24 closes the valve casing against the inlet and exit of material through the feed pipe .8, and the clutch section 30 ratchets relatively to the clutch section 29. During upward movement of the head 5, one of the passages 24 moves into and out of alinemcnt with. the inlet and outlet of the valve casing 10, and while in alinement, the pressure within the receptacle 9 forces the fluid or semi-fluid from the chamber 7 through the nozzles from which the material is extruded into the passages of the article during the upward movement of the head 5. During the latter part of the upward movement of the head 5. the

full portions of the valve member 24 close off the inlet and outlet of the valve.

The connections between the actuator 22 and the carrier 13 comprises a one-way. or

nozzles have withdrawn from the article on i the support, a lost motion 18 provided.

35, Figure 11, designates one section of the clutch device keyed to the'shaft 36 on which one of the pulleys 14 of the carrier is mounted.

' 37 designates a shiftable clutch device mounted to rotate about the shaft 36 and shiftable axially thereof againsta spring 38 during the ratcheting action. The opposing faces of the two clutch sections are provided with ratchet teeth. The clutch section 37 is connected to a crank 40 on the driving pulley by meansof a link 41, and a lost motion connection is provided between the lower end This lost motion connection may be of any suitable constructiomand that here shown comprises a link 42 pivoted on a radial arm 43 on the clutch section37 to have a limited free pivotal movement-relatively thereto. The link 41 is connected to the link 42. During the downward movement of the head by the .actuator 22, the link 42 moves downwardidly until it engages theshoulder on the arm 48. Then, during further downward movement, the arm 43 is actuated causing the clutch section 37 to ratchet relatively to the section 35. During the upward movement of the head, the link 42 swings freely on its pivot- 44 until it is limited in its movement by the shoulder 46 thereon coming into engagement with the shoulder 47 on the arm 43 of the clutch section 37.

During the upward movement of the link 41 while the lost motionbetween the shoulders 46 and 47 is being taken up, the punches 3and'nozzles 4 are movingcut of the article, and are completely out of the article when the lost motion is taken up, and then further upward movement of the link 41 by the crank 40 moves the clutch section 37 upwardly and hence, actuates the clutch section 35 and shaft 36 causing the belt or chain 13 to feed one step. The length of this step is sufficient to feed the portion of the article under the punches into a position under the nozzles to receive thesame during'the next operation.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, soap is first made up into a large block or cube, and is thereafter cut vertically and horizontally into slabs, each slab being the length of a plurality of bars of soap, and the width of a single bar. The slabs are fed into a machine, or go though certain processes to imprint trademarks, designs etc., on the upper and lower faces of the slab and then the slabs are cut up into bars. Sometimes the bars or cakes are molded to have panels on their upper and lower sides.

By our invention, these slabs may go through the same operations as heretofore, with the exception that instead of imprinting eflaceable marksnon the cakes, our machine is used to punch passages in the slabs and fill the passages with soap or material of different character or color to provide each bar of soap with an inefiaceable mark or marks running entirely through. it. After the slabs have been so providedwith inelfaceable marks, they arecut up into cakes, and in our machine, a cutting instrument, as a wire 50 isprovided on the head 5, this being carried by arms 51 movable with the head and depending therefrom, so that during each downward movement of the head, a'bar is cut off, except whenthe end of a slab comes into cutting position. Whenthe first slab is fed to the machine, obviously, there will be no portion of the article under the nozzles4, and therefore, the colored material will be extruded; This may be wiped off, or the extruded material caught on a sheet of paper,

or any other suitable contrivance, in order to prevent the table from being smeared and thereaftercsmearing the colored soap onto head5 descends, moving the punches through the article, and moving the nozzles 4 through the passages previously punched. During the downward movement of the head, the clutch section 30 operating the'valve 1O ratchets idly, and also the clutch section 37 of the belt feeding means ratchets'idly. During upward movement of the head 5, thevalve 10 is opened, permitting the colored material to be extruded through the nozzles into the passagesin the article or slab under the influence of the pressure in the receptacle 9,and toward the end of the upward movement of the head 5, the valve 10 is closed. Also, during the upward movement of the head, the link 41 in moving upwardly, first actuates the link 42 to take up the'lost motion between this link 42 and the arm 43 of the ratcheting clutch section 37. When this lost motion is taken up, the punches 8 and nozzles 4 have moved out of, 'or above the slab. Thereafter, continued upward movement of the link 41 causes the belt 13 to feed,or partially feed a slab from the magazine 17, and this slab to push the preceding slab farther under the head 1, or onto the table The operation of providing the bars or slabs with inefi'aceable trademarks, is thus continuous and rapid. p

In Figure 4, the passages are shown as circular holes, and in Figure 5 as slots.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular form or configuration of the passage, or the filling or insert. r

- What we claim is: r

1. In a machine of the class described, the

combination of a support for an articlefto be provided with inefiaceable markings running therethrough, means for punching passages through the article, and additional means'for filling the passages with material, actuating means for effecting relative movement of the support, and the passage forming andfilling means to effect the punching and filling operations, and means for effecting the relative feeding movement of the articles and the punching and fillingmeans to bring the articles with the passages punched therethrough into juxtaposition to'the filling means, and to bring'the articles and the punching means into juxtaposition to perform the punching of another set of passages while the former set is being filled. V

2. In a machine of the class described,-the

combination of a support for an article to be provided with ineffaceable markings running therethrough, means for punching passages through the article, and additional means for filling the passages with material, actuating means for effecting relative movement of the support, and the passage forming and filling means to effect the punching and filling operations, and means for effecting the relative feeding movement of the articles and the punching and filling means to bring the articles with the passages punched therethrough into juxtaposition to the filling means, and to bring the articles and the punching means into juxtaposition to perform the punching of another set of passages while the former set is being filled, the actuating means including timing mech anism for synchronizing the punching and filling operations With the feeding operation.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support for articles to be provided with ineffaceable markings running therethrough, means for punching passages in the articles, means for filling the passages with material, means for effecting relative feeding movement of the articles and the punching and filling means to bring the articles with the holes punched therein into juxtaposition to the feeding means while the articles to be provided with passages are be ing brought in juxtaposition to the punching means.

4. In a machine of the class described for providing articles with ineffaceable markings running therethrough, a support for the articles, a carriage, punching means and filling means carried by the carriage, means for effecting relative movement of the carriage and the support one toward and from the other to effect the punching of passages and the filling of the passages, and means for feeding the articles successively to the punching and the filling means.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support for an article to be provided with an inefiaceable marking running therethrough and having passages therethrough, and means for filling the passages comprising a nozzle, a reservoir for material to be filled, communicating with the nozzle, and means for effecting relative movement of the support and the nozzle to cause the nozzle to communicate with the passage, and means for ejecting the material from the nozzle into the passage.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support for an article to be provided with an ineifaceable marking running therethrough and having a passage therethrough, and means for filling the passage comprising a nozzle movable into the passage, a reservoir for material communicating with the nozzle, means for effecting relative movement of the support and the nozzle to cause the nozzle to enter the passage, and means for ejecting the material from the nozzle into the passage during separating movement of the support and the nozzle.

7'. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support for an article to be provided with an inefl'aceable marking running therethrough, means for forming a passage in the article, means for filling material into the passage comprising a nozzle, a reservoir for material communicating with the nozzle, means for effecting relative movement of the support and the passage forming means and the nozzle to effect the successive punching of the passages and the filling thereof by the nozzle.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support for articles to be provided with inefl'aceable markings running therethrough, a carriage, a punch and a nozzle carried by the carriage, means for fcedin'g the articles one by one to the sup- 7 port, means for actuating the carriage to cause the punch to form a passage in the article, and to cause the nozzle to communicate with the passage previously formed by the punch, means for feeding the articles to the support and from the punch to the nozzle, and means for controlling the flow of material from the nozzle.

9. In a machine of the class described, the

combination of a support for articles to be provided with ineffaceable markings running therethrough, means for successively forming passages through the articles and filling the passages with material comprising punch means and filling nozzle means, means for forcing material through the nozzle means, means for effecting relative move ment of the support, and the punching and filling means, means for feeding the articles to the support and from the punching means to the filling means, and means for timing the operation of the feeding means, the punching and filling means and the means for controlling the flow of material through the nozzles.

10. In a machine of the class described, the 1;

from the support, punch means and nozzle means arranged side by side on the head, a reservoir having an outlet communicating with the nozzle means, a control valve in said conduit, means for'feeding the articles to the support and from the punching means to the nozzle means, an actuator, connections between the actuator and the head to move the same, connections between the actuator and the valve to open and close'the same, connections between the actuator and the feeding means to actuate the same, and means for timing the operation or" said connections by the actuator in a predetermined order.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto signed our names, at Rome, in the county of Oneida, and State of New York, this 26th day of March, 1931.

WILLIS O. ARMSTRONG. J AY A. MOWERS. 

